Viaduct.



No. 533,81. Patenten sept. 26, |899;

Y. A. H. LIGHTHALL.

VIADUCT.

(Application Med Dec. 19, 139B.;

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

oooocnooooooooc* O O D D sqm.

1'. cams :mens no pHoro-Luau. wnsnmcvfou, n. c.

.0W 9 6, 2 L. .p e s. vAu.. e t n e t a P m u 9 u M w T... TGM HU mumLMn .vm .H. u w A m N 8.1 .3 3 .6 m .N

2 Sheets--Shaet 2 UNITED: Y STATES VPATnrrr OFFICE.

TO HENRY A.

MAURER, OF SAME PLACE.

VIADUCT.

SPECIFICATION folmng part of Letters Patent No. 633,861, datedfseptember.26, 1899. Application filed December 19,1898. Serial No. 699,673.(Nomodel.)

VTo all ww'mzt may con/cern:

Beit known that I, ALMERIN H. LIGHTHALL, avcitizen of the United States,residing at New York, inthe county of' New York and State of New York,have invented certain-new and useful Improvements in Viaducts; and I dodeclare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description V*otthe invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanving drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, whichform a part of this specification.

This invention relates to viaducts, and it relates particularly to theconstruction of the floors of such structures.

The object of Vthe invention is to provide a floor for Vviaducts whichshall be so constructed as to present a support for rails or for aconcrete or other roadway over which ycars or vehicles-may pass withoutproducing the objectionable noises incident to passage over viaducts asat present constructed.

Further, the object ot'V the invention is to provide a door of the kindreferred to which will be light and cheap in construction and reproofthroughout. i

With these objects in view the invention consists of a floor forviaducts and similar structures consisting of aseries of transversehollow beams or girders, a layer of' hollow terra-cotta or the like, anda plastic substance,

such as asphalt, interposed between the terracotta and the interior ofthe beams or girde'rs. Further, the invention consists of a door forstructures of the character referred to consisting of transverse hollowgirders having their upper ends open, a'layer of hollow terra-cotta orthe like arranged in the gi rders, a plastic substance, such as asphalt,interposed between the terracotta and the inner surface of the girders,and a flreproof and waterproof covering for the terra-cotta and theexposed inner surface of the girders. The invention is illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, in whichy Figure l isa side elevation of asection of a viaduct having my flooring applied thereto, the form Yotgirder and other parts shown being adapted for use in supporting therails of a railway. Fig. 2 is an enlarged end elevation ot' one of mygirder-sections. Fig. 3 is a perspective View of the formof terra-cottafilling employed. Fig. tis a perspective view of a covering for thesides ofthe girders above the terra-cotta lling.` Fig. 5 is a sectionalview Vshowing the means for draining the upper surface of the gi-rders.Fig (i is an end elevation of a girder, showing a modified forni offilling whereby thegirders are adapted for the support of a roadway.Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a terra-cotta illing for the upperportion of the hollow girder, and Fig. S is a perspective view of thesupport for the filling shown'in Fig. 7.

The main body of the floor is composed of hollow girders or troughs A,which are made up ot the metal plates a, forming the sides, and similarplates a2, forming the bottom, the parts being connected bytheangle-pieces da, secured to the plates by bolts or rivets. Adjacentgi-rders or troughs lare connected by plates B, which are connected tothe side plates of the troughs by angle-plates b, suitable attached bybolts or rivets b2.

The described construction produces a hstrong and cheap frame fora doorhaving alternate plane faces and troughs and which may be supported inany suitable way, as by the straps a4, attached to the metal beams A'.

As a means oi' deadening the sound of trainsor vehicles passing over thefloor I provide a filling of terra-cotta in connection with a plasticsubstance, ns shown. When the floor is designed as a support forrailwaytracks, a series'of hollow terra-cotta blocks C are placed end toend in the lower portions of the troughs, partially filling the sainefrom end to end, thevblocks being so arranged as to form air-passagesfrom one end to the other of the girders.

As a means of retaining the terra-cottav blocks in place and of aidingiu vthe sounddeadening effect desired I interpose between the blocks andthe bottoni and sides of the troughs a layer D of a suitable materialwhich may readily be introduced in a semiliquid condition and which willremain plastic. VFor this purpose I prefer asphalt or a mixturecontaining a large proportion of this substance.

Each side of the blocks C are provided with indentations c, into whichproject the lower edges of slabs E of terra-cotta. These slabs areplaced, as shown in Fig. 2, to form a covering for the inner side facesof each of the side plates of the troughs, and they are preferably soplaced that their meeting edges are not coincident with those of theblocks G. The plastic materialextends up between the slabs E and theinner sides of the side plates and forms a union between the two.

The surface of the slabs E and the upper surfaces of the blocks C areboth coated with a covering of reproof and waterproof substance in orderto avoid injury by combustion or oxidation to the parts of thestrucltu're.

In order to provide for the drainage of the gutters formed in the upperportions of the girders, the plastic layer D is somewhat thicker in thebottom of the troughs at the ends thereof lhan in the middle, thusgiving the upper face of the series of blocks a slight incline towardthe center. At the depressed portion ot' the gutters F' one or moredrainpipes Gr are placed, and these discharge into conduits H, extendinglongitudinally of the bridge and terminating in a suitable discharge..

When the flooring is to be applied to a viaduct over which aA roadwaypasses, I use the construction shown in Fig. 6 ofthe drawings. In thisform the troughs A are provided along theirlowersideswithslabsl. (Shownparticularly in Fig. 8 of the drawings.) These slabs have depressions iin their upper inner faces for the reception of the bottom of blocks J,which have openingsj through then1,as shown in Fig. 7. In placing theblocks .I in position on the slabs I the blocks are so arranged that theopenings extend transversely of the girders A.

In the form shown in Fig. 6 a layer K of the plastic material referredto is interposed between the inner faces of the trough and the slabs andblocks.

The upper faces of the blocks are level with the plates B,and upon thesurface thus formed maybe placed anysuitable road-bed-as, for instance,a foundation of concrete L, covered by a dressing M, of asphalt or thelike.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

l. A floor for viaducts and the like comprising the hollow guides ortroughs, arranged with a space between adjacent girders or troughs, aiilling of hollow terra-cotta, and a plastic substance interposedbetween the terra-cotta and the interior of the girders, substantiallyas described.

2. A floor for viaducts and the like comprising the hollow girders ortroughs, hollow terra-cotta blocks arranged in the girders or troughs,the slabs covering the sides of the troughs, and the plastic substanceinterposed between the blocks and slabs and the girder or trough,substantially as described.

3. f A floor for viaducts and the like comprising the hollow girders ortroughs, the blocks of terra-cotta, the plastic substance interposedbetween the blocks and the trough, and a covering of fireproof Aandwaterproof substance, substantially as described.

4. A floor for viad ucts and the like comprising the hollow girders ortroughs, the hollow blocks of terra-cotta having indentat-ions in theirupper edges, the slabs resting in the indentations and coveringl thesides of the troughs or girders, the plastic substance interposedbetween the blocks and slabs and the troughs, and the coating oflireproof and Waterproof substance, substantially as described.

5. A floor for viaducts and the like compris- -ing the hollow girders ortroughs, the hollow blocks of terra-cotta arranged in the girders ortroughs, the layer of plastic material interposed between the blocks andthe troughs, the layer being thicker at the ends than in the middle ofthe troughs, and the drain-pipes arranged in the middle of the girdersor troughs, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

ALMERIN II. LIGIITHALL. Witnesses;

ALBERT LEU, DAVID H. MEAD.

